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Saturday, January 31, 2015

Sweeping and
Romantic Historical Drama from an Award-Winning AuthorAnna O'Brien leads
a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of
Congress until she stumbles across a baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at
sea. She is thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, but her determination
outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.

Luke Callahan was
one of the nation's most powerful congressmen until his promising career became
shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome
librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship.Opposites in every
way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict
rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglement with a member of Congress.

From the gilded
halls of the Capitol, where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the
scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon
embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is
bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for
themselves?

What kind of barbarian voted against librarians?

She was doing it again – calming him with her
cool wit and steady logic.

She was like a balm on inflamed skin, soothing his
frustration and making him think of wild, improbable things like autumn walks
in sun-kissed gardens.

Elizabeth Camden’s books caught my attention in
2012, and I haven’t missed a new publication since. Her newest book, Beyond All
Dreams, captures a world and setting that is new to me but that was both
intriguing and educational. Anyone who loves and appreciates books as much as I
do will of course love this book simply because our heroine, Anna O’Brien, is a
librarian working in the Library of Congress. I was mystified with the setting
because it was unlike anything I have read prior. Camden perfectly captures the
hustle and bustle of what is Washington, DC and allows readers to vividly
imagine what life would be like working inside the Library of Congress.
Politics is not really my forte, but Camden makes Anna’s world inviting and
mesmerizing.

Camden is the master of character development.
Anna and Luke, our male counterpart to Anna, complement each other’s flaws,
weaknesses, strengths, and dreams. Luke is a powerful representative for the
state of Maine, so the fact that these characters have a political background
makes them and their conversations and interactions that much more interesting.
Anna and Luke both hold true to their morals and values and I found myself
really appreciating this characteristic in both of their characters. This book
took me no time at all to read and was utterly satisfying!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by Litfuse and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review***

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

After surviving a
disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained
perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and
netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle
of wills and wiles... and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the
rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world—a parallel dimension
filled with mutated and sadistic netherling outcasts.

In the final
installment of the Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the
heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone
wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the
decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But even if everyone succeeds and
comes out alive, can they all truly have their happily ever after?

The littlest things I once took for granted have
become priceless treasures.

“I don’t want those things from you. I love your
faults and imperfections. Your kind heart. The scars that match mine, and the
struggles to find ourselves. I want your humanness. Nothing else.”

Here we have the last book in what I believe is
probably one of the best fairy tale retellings, especially Alice in Wonderland
retellings, that I have ever read. A.G. Howard is an author worth recommending
and reading for so many reasons, but especially because of her creativity and
vivid imagination. I am a huge fan of worldbuilding, especially fantasy worlds
like this, but I must say that I have not read about a world this wicked and
twisted in quite some time. This entire series has been very captivating, in
fact after finishing each installment I was left with a major book hangover!
This is Wonderland like you have never seen, read, or imagined it before.

This story is truly spellbinding and the words
and characters feel as if they could jump right off of the page. I cannot say
much, for fear of giving too much away, but I will say that this last
installment in particular has many exciting twists and turns and events take
place that I never saw coming at all. This book presents a bit more sinister
side of what was originally intended to be Wonderland. I cannot imagine this
world written any other way. Howard successfully wraps up all loose ends and
readers are left with no questions concerning the plot or Alyssa’s story.
Please do yourself a favor; pick up this series!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Amulet Books in exchange for my honest review***

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Water for
Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician’s Lie, a debut novel in which
the country’s most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's
murder --and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her
innocence.

The Amazing Arden
is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious
trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young
policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for
a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When
Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the
answer seems clear.

But when Virgil
happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very
different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from
powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over
the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or
set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.

“Life is always
better than death. Always. No exceptions.”

“But this is
life, and when bad things come to us, there isn't much choice. You survive them
or you don't.”

Time would tell, in any case.

If we didn’t acknowledge things that we didn’t want to be
true, we could keep them hidden in the dark. I’d learned that at my mother’s
knee, after all.

Captivating. Truly captivating. This murder
mystery involving the female illusionist, Arden and her recently deceased
husband, is a historical fiction novel to be reveled among the best of the
year, I am sure. The story did not start or go how I expected it to, but the fluidity
of it all was marvelous. Macallister drops readers right into the action and
works backward as she switches the point of view between Arden and the Officer
that arrested her, Officer Holt. Arden quickly begins in telling the story of
her childhood and moves into her adult life; some readers did not appreciate
this at all, but I found her knack for storytelling both mysterious and
suspenseful, but I could see why others would get bored with it easily. Between
Arden’s various flashbacks, the story weaves in the interrogation and how Arden
and her husband came to know one another. I haven’t read anything quite this
captivating in a while.

Arden appears to be so mysterious and completely
unpredictable; however, there are times when her character is completely
vulnerable and you cannot believe that you are reading about the same person. I
questioned over and over in my mind as I read if I really believed Arden’s story
or not. She was handcuffed while talking to this officer, for what felt like years,
and I was constantly questioning why a famous illusionist would allow herself to
be handcuffed? Arden truly had me puzzled at times and I loved feeling that
way; I did not know what to expect from her next. I highly recommend this book
to be added to your 2015 reading list.

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for my honest review***

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Pixie Marshall wishes
every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the
damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of free room and board working with
her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident
handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her
friend-and maybe more-until everything changed in a life-shattering instant.
She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he's right down the hall and
stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried . . .

Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful
memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple
"sorry" won't suffice-not when the tragedy that scarred them was his
fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams
to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet
even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever.
Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear-he
can't live without her.

“And I am yours,” she says quietly. “Even when
you don’t want me. I’m still yours.”

“You are not my friend, Pixie. You are a piece
of my heart and a part of who I want to be.”

“Because love isn’t something that needs to be
said out loud!” Her face flushes with passion. “It’s something you just know.
It’s an unspoken thing. It’s humble and quiet and constant…” She goes back to
slaughtering the mushrooms, but lowers her tone a bit. “I mean, you can’t just
say you love someone and make it true. That’s not how it works. Real love
doesn’t need to be declared or confessed. Real love just… is. You know?”

“Winning is an effect of trying. You have to
want it badly enough to go through pain, discipline, and failure to find it. To
confront it. To claim it. But most of all, you have to fight for it. Everything
else—anything else—is absolute surrender.”

A love story that is perfect for Valentine’s
Day! Pixie, Sarah to people who don’t know her well, and Levi have a history
together. They were both involved in an accident that caused them to lose
someone that they both held near and dear, Pixie’s best friend and Levi’s
sister. They both blame themselves for what happened that night and neither can
get past it enough to realize how perfect they are for one another. So when
Pixie returns home to work for the summer in her Aunt Ellen’s inn and moves in
next to the inn’s other live-in Levi, you can imagine all the memories, both
good and bad, that were rekindled between these two. What I loved most about
this New Adult love story is that feelings were not instant between Pixie and
Levi; they had to work to get past differences and see the good in each other.

The beauty of this story is that it is written
in alternating point of views. I loved being able to see and hear both Pixie
and Levi’s thoughts. They are both obviously broken, hence the title, but it is
nice to watch them work through their brokenness and learned to be healed and
help each other heal. The fact that I knew these characters shared a tragic
event allowed me to sympathize with them even more. I have found a new favorite
author in Chelsea Fine; she writes characters, sexual tension, and emotions in
a way that will have you missing this story long after you have finished reading
it. I will definitely pursue the other books in this series to be released this
year.

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Forever in exchange for my honest review***

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Bryn Aven is an
outcast among the Kanin, the most powerful of the troll tribes.

Set apart by her
heritage and her past, Bryn is a tracker who's determined to become a respected
part of her world. She has just one goal: become a member of the elite King’s
Guard to protect the royal family. She's not going to let anything stand in her
way, not even a forbidden romance with her boss Ridley Dresden.

But all her plans
for the future are put on hold when Konstantin– a fallen hero she once loved –
begins kidnapping changelings. Bryn is sent in to help stop him, but will she
lose her heart in the process?

He’d tried to kill my dad, and now I would stop
at nothing until he was brought to justice.

“Things are far more complicated than they seem.”

“Sorry, I should be letting you get on your way,”
Konstantin said apologetically, and my heart sank when I realized this brief
exchange would soon end, leaving me feeling even more like Cinderella than ever
before.

This is my second series by Amanda Hocking, and
honestly the woman hasn’t written a book that I have disliked yet. I must say
that I more excited for this series than the previous one I read by her,
however. Something about Bryn Aven’s story just wrapped me in right from the
beginning and wouldn’t unhand me until the very last page. Bryn is a tracker
and it is her job to return changelings back to their parents and help them
adjust to a normal life in their new surroundings. Bryn is an exceptional
character because right from the start readers can see that she is a rebel and
does not necessarily believe in everything that her king and queen would like
her to. Bryn immediately struck me as a character that I would love and appreciate
and I do, mostly because of her bravery and honesty.

Bryn’s world is full of royalty, secrets, power,
adventure, and even a little romance. I am a huge fan of world building and I
tend to never get bored of it, so of course I was in love with this first book
in what I am sure will be an exciting new series. Hocking’s work is utterly
fascinating in my eyes; she can go from one fantastical world to another and
give readers so many new and exciting characters to love and adore. Plus, if
you love inspiring heroines, then Bryn is sure to be a character that stays
with you long after you have put the book down. If you are interested in all I
have said so far, then you might also be interested to know that the rest of
this series is releasing this year! No long waits!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for my honest review***

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Hard on the heels
of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas,
Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and
shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her
mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known
as the Nide.

No sooner does she
arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into
her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances
of girls from the school.

“The universe has rolled over and let me rub its
tummy.”

“A week away from home and my list of people to
poison was already up to two.”

“I have seen numerous dead bodies in my
lifetime, each more interesting than the last, and each more instructive. This
one, if I was counting correctly, was number seven.”

“Who can say no to a personal matter? Even God
is curious about such things, which is why He listens to our prayers.”

Flavia de Luce is finally twelve years old and is
leaving Buckshaw and being shipped off to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy.
Although Flavia is sad and troubled after leaving Buckshaw, she soon discovers that
there may be a purpose for her after all at Miss Bodycote’s when a dead body
falls out of the chimney in her room. Flavia quickly meets an interesting cast
of new characters and learns some interesting things about the school and her
mother’s experience there as a young girl. Many clues unfold and Flavia starts
to narrow down her list of suspects and tries to get to the bottom of this heinous
crime. I couldn’t ask for a better sleuth than Flavia! She continues to shock
and amaze me.

I would recommend reading these books in order because
I did not and there are things that I feel I should have known going into this
seventh book, especially things about Flavia’s mom, Harriet. I am going back
and reading the books in order, but could not resist reading this one now. I
was very pleased with the mystery and loved that a few storylines were going on
side by side. Flavia is one of the most well-written characters that I have
read in a long time, especially since she is only twelve. I did miss Buckshaw,
Flavia’s childhood home, in this story but Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy was a
nice change of scenery and several new characters were added as well. If you
are looking for a new series to pick up in 2015, this would be at the top of my
list!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Delacorte Press in exchange for my honest review***

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

It’s an old
adage that too many cooks spoil the broth. But when a tour of the White House
kitchen by a group of foreign chefs ends in murder, it’s Olivia Paras who finds
herself in the soup…

Due to a government
sequester, entertaining at the White House has been severely curtailed. So
executive chef Olivia Paras is delighted to hear that plans are still on to
welcome a presidential candidate from the country of Saardisca—the first woman
to run for office—and four of that nation’s top chefs.

But while leading
the chefs on a kitchen tour, pastry chef Marcel passes out suddenly—and later
claims he was drugged. When one of the visiting chefs collapses and dies, it’s
clear someone has infiltrated the White House with ill intent. Could it be an
anti-Saardiscan zealot? Is the candidate a target? Are the foreign chefs
keeping more than their recipes a secret? Once again, Olivia must make
sleuthing the special of the day…

“Diplomacy has to start somewhere.”

As Executive Chef at the White House, I was
responsible for feeding the First Family and – whether they be friend or foe –
all the home’s guests.

“Your instincts tell you something is amiss. And
your instincts haven’t failed you yet, have they?”

The White House always has the best cuisine with
Olivia Paras working the kitchen. Ollie’s life has totally transformed over the
course of this series; she is now married to her secret service agent, Gav. In
this eighth installment, I can hardly believe this series is already on its
eighth book, Olivia is charged with entertaining a group of chefs from
Saardisca and making sure they have an enjoyable time, without getting into any
trouble, at their stay in the White House. These chefs are to watch and learn
the ways of the staff at the White House and see if they can’t learn a thing or
two. Ollie tries her best to keep out of trouble, but as we all know it always
finds her. When one of the visiting chefs collapses and dies right under all their
noses, Ollie is the first one on the track, searching until she finds an answer
to the mysterious death of the foreign chef.

One reason that I have been such a dedicated
follower of this series is because I simply love the inner workings of the
staff in the White House kitchen. Ollie is a great character all around and I just
love following her as she leads her chefs and as they prepare so many wonderful
dishes that we get to read all about. As readers, we also get a bird’s eye view
into some of the most elaborate dinner parties thrown in the White House. None
of these books have ever disappointed me. I could tell that Hyzy dropped some
subtle hints as to things that might be changing in upcoming books, but I am
confident that she will continue writing stories that we love and enjoy!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Berkley in exchange for my honest review***

Friday, January 9, 2015

Unbeknownst to
most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of
society, using their magic to keep the world in balance. But they are being
eliminated—and we will all pay if their power falls…

When Elyse
MacAllister’s great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly
ill, Lyse puts her comfortable life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los
Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has
been keeping secrets—extraordinary secrets—from her.

Not only is Lyse
heir to Eleanora’s Victorian estate; she is also expected to take her
great-aunt’s place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But to accept her destiny
means to place herself in deadly peril—for the world of magic is under siege,
and the battle the witches now fight may be their last…

Things were always a little wonky at Eleanora’s
house.

Eleanora grinned. “Science and magic are very
much the same thing. The ‘magic’ stuff is only called that because science
doesn’t have an explanation for it yet.”

Eleanora had vowed then and there to place this
child’s needs above her own. She was going to love Lyse with the fierceness of
everything she possessed.

It was only now, as death approached and the
future remained uncertain, that she realized Lyse would be the greatest gift
she left the world.

This was a wonderfully written coven story full
of beautiful female characters who are witty, powerful, rich, and seem so real
to the mind’s eye. Elyse, or “Lyse” for short, the main character, captivated
me with her story and the story of her coven. Not only Lyse, but the other
characters in this story were so well thought out; I felt like we were all
friends. By the time I had finished reading the book, I felt like I was going
to miss these characters. I am so glad that I stumbled upon this series. It is
sure to be one that I follow for the next few years. I am so excited to see
what is next for Elyse and all the other witches that I was introduced to in
this fascinating new novel from Amber Benson!

Since this was the first novel in a new series,
Benson spent a lot of her time building the world that is Echo Park. I think
this is what has thrown some readers off and made them feel that the series got
off to a “slow” start. I, however, feel right the opposite. I love reading
background about a world and all the magic and wonder that it is filled with.
Now don’t get me wrong, there were a few parts that I found to be slower than
others, but none of them revolved around the world building. I was so pleased
to learn all about Echo Park, the coven, and Elyse’s great-aunt Eleanora. I
recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about witches and has a large
imagination!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Ace Trade in exchange for my honest review***

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Deadly thorns
lurk among the roses in this Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery.

Florist Audrey Bloom, co-owner of the Rose in
Bloom, creates fragrant bouquets for brides. But when a wedding goes fatally
wrong, it’s up to Audrey to sniff out a killer…Everything is
coming up roses for Audrey when her dazzling creations are picked to be
featured on a wedding reality show. The hot series is filming an episode about
a bride who’s bonkers for bells, and Audrey’s bouquets of campanulas, calla
lilies, and Bells-of-Ireland are perfect for the bridal theme.But Audrey’s debut
quickly becomes a hothouse of trouble. Her ex, Brad, shows up as a crew member
on the show, threatening her blossoming relationship with Nick the baker. To
make matters worse, when one of the show’s hosts is found dead in the bell
tower of a historic church, all the evidence points toward Brad.

Now Audrey needs to
weed out the real killer before someone else’s chance at stardom is permanently
nipped in the bud…

“No, I’ve dealt with my share of bridezillas.
Usually I just smile and nod and give them what they want until they go away.”

Why is it that easy decisions are always so
difficult?

“I always used to tease your grandma that someone
was spray painting her flowers overnight. Child, you have no idea how much I
miss her and her garden.”

Audrey
Bloom and her cousin, Liv, own the Rose In Bloom flower shop in Ramble,
Virginia. In the second installment in this series, a wedding reality show
comes to Ramble to film a new episode. The bride-to-be is all about bells and
this becomes the theme of the wedding. Audrey and her cousin work hard to start
assembling flower arrangements in order to make this wedding a success.
However, we can’t have a cozy mystery with a murder. Our murder mystery starts
when the bells at the First Baptist Church begin ringing and a dead body is
discovered, but alas, the show must go on! Audrey truly has her hands full in
this book; she has to deal with a bridezilla, her ex-boyfriend who so
desperately wants to get her back, and to top it all off she has to solve a
murder!

This
series did not disappoint with its second book. Audrey is back and her
character is being developed more and more. Readers will start to learn more
about her intricate thoughts, her fears, and her disappointments. We also get
to see more of Nick, and his relationship with Audrey begins to bloom as well. The
mystery was very well-written and kept me guessing and piecing clues together
more than halfway through. The talk of flowers is always enjoyable and I always
learn a lot about etiquette and what flowers pair nicely together. It is nice
to see Audrey’s passion unravel and unfold.

***A
free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Berkley in
exchange for my honest review***

Sunday, January 4, 2015

From bestselling
author Amelia Grey comes a wickedly romantic tale of one reckless bachelor,
five unwed sisters, and a wildly unconventional game of love…

HERE COMES
THE GROOM

As a notorious
member of the Heirs’ Club, Bray Drakestone can’t resist a challenge from one of
his well-heeled colleagues—especially when it involves money and horses. But
the friendly wager takes an unexpected and deadly turn. Bray is forced to agree
to marry one of his challenger’s five sisters—sight unseen. Now gamblers all
over London are placing bets on whether Bray will actually go through with it…

THERE GOES
THE BRIDE

Miss Louisa Prim,
the eldest sister, doesn’t care a whit what the reckless rogue at the Heirs’
Club promised her brother—she has no intention of marrying the future Duke of
Drakestone. Bray, however, sees her rejection as another challenge. He bets
that the fiery Miss Prim will not only agree to marry him,she will propose tohim! With
four sisters behind her, Louisa knows she can’t lose. But why does her opponent
have to be a divinely handsome scoundrel? And so sweetly, irresistibly
seductive…

“His Grace looks to be the type of gentleman who
would appreciate a very delicate cup and saucer,” she continued. “One with
plenty of colorful flowers painted on it.”

Bray was impressed at how, when Miss Prim issued
the orders, the girls went scurrying to their duties without question or
complaint.

He had a thought that he might have won a
battle, but he wasn’t sure he could win the war.

This historical romance was a great start to
what I am sure will be a series worth following. One of my New Year’s
resolutions this year was to read more historical romance because it was one of
the genres in which I was severely lacking last year. I was very intrigued with
this story because I love to read about sisters. Our heroine, Louisa Prim, has
been handed sole guardianship of her four younger sisters and part of that commitment
means that she must make a suitable marriage match so that her sisters have a
chance of someday doing the same. Unfortunately for Louisa, the man who has his
sights set on her is someone that she cannot stand, Bray the Duke of
Drakestone. The chase all over London is on!

The chaos of the household that is the Prim
women was one of the most thrilling things about this book, especially watching
Bray interact with them and meet them all for the first time. I was so pleased
with Louisa’s character because she is so feisty and fiercely passionate and it
only has me thinking how much I cannot wait to meet her other sisters. Louisa
has the well-being of her sisters constantly on her mind, and this fact only
drew me to her character that much more. She was a great sister and I loved
watching her interact with her younger sisters just as much I like watching her
and Bray go round and round about matters of love or lack of! If you love
romance stories where the hero and heroine are not an immediate match, then
this will be a perfect series starter for you!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at St. Martin’s Paperbacks in exchange for my honest
review***

About Me

My name is Chelsey and I am the creator of Charming Chelsey's! I read and review anything and everything that I find to be "charming."
I accept ARCs or already released books for review, and I'm also available to participate in any blog tours or book reveals too. If anything, please don't hesitate to email me any time for any reason at: charmingchelseys(at)gmail(dot)com